


In The Way

by blackat_t7t



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Accidental Kissing, M/M, Vulcan Culture, Vulcan Kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-24
Updated: 2010-02-24
Packaged: 2019-08-02 23:22:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16314626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackat_t7t/pseuds/blackat_t7t
Summary: Every time Spock reaches for something, Kirk's hands are in the way.





	In The Way

**Author's Note:**

> Imported from LiveJournal on 10/16/2018
> 
> Original notes:  
> Wrote it Sunday, supposed to be working on a paper. Wasn't. >.<  Turned out really cliched, but oh well.

Commander Spock allowed his lips to turn downward almost imperceptibly as he focused his gaze on the chessboard, considering every possibility before making his next move. At last he reached out and moved one of his rooks a few spaces across the board before looking up at his Captain. Kirk shifted in his seat as he gazed at the board, and one of his hands reached out to hover over it indecisively.

“Captain?” Both men turned to the yeoman who had spoken. She was very attractive, by human standards, Spock supposed, with long dark hair and an hourglass figure, and long, elegant fingers which were currently wrapped around a PADD. As a result, Spock was not surprised when the Captain grinned and leaned toward her, his body language expressing flirtatiousness. Spock was, however, slightly annoyed. After all, it was improper for a Captain to get involved with a member of his crew.

The yeoman held the PADD out vaguely between the two seated men. “I need both you and Commander Spock to sign off on this report, sir,” the yeoman said, glancing over at Spock.

“Just a minute, yeoman.” Kirk said, flashing a grin in her direction before his hand descended upon one of his knights, moving it with the usual lack of logic.

Spock, logically assuming that the Captain would not be taking the PADD for at least 3.5 seconds, reached out to take it from her, and was surprised when his fingertips brushed against the Captain’s.

The two men locked eyes for a moment and Kirk pulled his hand away. “Sorry, Spock.” He grinned apologetically, and Spock nodded in response before taking the PADD. As he signed the screen with the stylus the yeoman passed him, he contemplated the odd electric sensation he had felt when his fingers brushed Kirk’s. Static electricity, he believed humans called it. He had never experienced it before.

Done signing, Spock passed the PADD to Kirk, careful not to let their fingers brush again.

 

“Whew!” Kirk stood up from the Captain’s chair and stretched his arms above his head, groaning softly. Spock silently agreed with his assessment.

The Enterprise had been in a neutral zone, repairing damages sustained during the latest fire fight, when a Klingon battleship exited warp nearby and opened fire. They had barely managed to get the warp thrusters back on line in time to avoid serious damage, but they had been watching carefully for pursuit. Now they were safely within Federation territory, and able to relax.

“Spock, care for a game of chess before bed?” Kirk asked as they walked toward the lifts.

“Negative, Captain,” Spock replied. The gamma shift had been about to end when the Klingon ship appeared, and they had not been able to switch out while they were still in danger of being followed. It was well past the time when most of the gamma shift would go to bed.

“Ah well,” Kirk sighed. “I guess it is too late.”

Spock didn’t answer, but instead reached out to press the button on the wall that would open the lift. As he did, his fingertips knocked against the back of Kirk’s hand. Spock pulled back, not looking at Kirk, and allowed the other man to press the button.

They entered the lift in silence. Spock glanced surreptitiously at the Captain, who was leaning against the wall of the lift with his eyes closed. Clearly he was more tired than he had let on. Not surprising, really, if Spock, who needed less sleep, felt the need to go to bed immediately.

Satisfied that the Captain was not watching, Spock lifted his hand and looked at it curiously. The sensation of his and the Captain’s hands touching was curious, but not unpleasant. No, if Spock were honest with himself, he would have to admit that the feeling was quite pleasant indeed. And he could feel Kirk’s emotions when they touched, his exhaustion from the latest brush with danger, his disappointment that Spock had turned down his offer of chess, and his happiness.

Why happiness, Spock wondered briefly. But the Captain was a naturally cheerful person. He was happy most of the time. It was not odd that he should be happy at any given moment.

Did he know, Spock wondered, that he could feel Kirk’s emotions when they touched? Did he know about the sensitivity of Vulcan hands? No, Spock was certain, the Captain couldn’t know. If he did, he surely would never allow their hands to touch.

And Spock was at a loss as to why this thought made him undeniably sad.

 

“Well, it looks like you’ve one again, my friend,” Kirk said amicably, reaching out to knock his king over with a flick of his finger.

“So it would seem, Captain.”

“Spooock,” Kirk said, his voice taking on a slight whining note. “How many times do I have to tell you, call me Jim when we’re off duty?”

“Jim.” Spock acquiesced, and was only slightly surprised by the bubble of amusement that swelled within him as Kirk grinned in response.

“Right,” Jim said. “Well, let’s clean this up, and then go grab something to eat.” He began picking up the chess pieces and putting them in their proper places. Spock began replacing his own pieces, and as he reached for one that was near one of Kirk’s, their fingers once again brushed.

Spock glanced at Kirk, and then looked away quickly, grabbing his piece and pulling it back. He replaced all of the pieces without commenting on it, and bid Kirk goodnight before leaving through the bathroom to his adjoined room.

Once safely into his own room, Spock once again contemplated his fingertips. It seemed that every time he reached for something, the Captain’s hands were in the way. They were touching more often, he was sure of it. The frequency had increased by 48.35%.

It was not that he was unhappy with the state of affairs. No, Spock was quite pleased with the touches, and that made him feel…guilty. Vulcan hands were highly sensitive, and touches were restricted to the closest of friends, family, and most commonly, lovers. It was dishonest to enjoy Kirk’s touch, when the man did not understand its significance.

The thought of being lovers with Kirk was… frightening. But at the same time it was enticing. He and Nyota had ended their relationship amicably not long after the battle with Nero, and that had left room for his relationship with Kirk to flourish. Though their relationship had started out rocky, to say the least, they had found that they were quite compatible. Their personalities fit together like two parts of one whole, matching and completing one another.

But to add this new element to their relationship… Aside from the dozens of reasons why it would be inappropriate, there was also no indication that Kirk was interested in pursuing a relationship with Spock, or interested in men at all, or even capable of holding together a long-term relationship. And Spock was not going to be a “one night stand,” as humans said.

Spock curled his hand into a fist and pushed the thoughts from his mind. He would have to meditate on this matter at a later time.

 

Spock was on his way to the lab to perform and experiment. The local food of the people on the last planet they had visited had had an adverse effect on the members of the ground team who had eaten it, including their hapless Captain. Although Doctor McCoy had managed to get everyone back to peak health, it had taken several days, and Spock was hoping to synthesize a more effective, expedient cure.

Spock was passing near the medbay when he heard the soft buzz of voices, and his sharp ears picked out his own name in the conversation. Curious, Spock stepped near to the door and listened. It seemed that the Captain was once again, as McCoy would say, “whining to the Doctor about his problems.”

“And he’s not responding at all!” The Captain was saying. “I mean, he just ignores it, like it’s normal!”

“He’s probably annoyed by it,” the Doctor suggested.

“Yeah, maybe.” Kirk sounded saddened by the statement. “I mean, ever since I found out about Vulcan hands, I’ve been hoping to get his attention, but he just brushes it off like it’s just something I do. I don’t think he even thinks about it. As if I could think of anything else! Do you know, I haven’t even _looked_ at any of these beautiful alien women, in _months_! But I can’t seem to get his attention _at all_!”

“Jim, have you thought about just _telling_ him you like him?”

Jim snorted. “Yeah, that’d be a great conversation. ‘Hey Spock, I know it’s completely illogical for two men to be together when they can’t reproduce, and completely inappropriate for a Captain to date a subordinate, but I really, really like you, so how about it?’ Yeah, I’m sure that’ll just sweep him off his feet.”

Spock’s head was reeling. Kirk was interested in a romantic relationship, with him?! It was everything he’d been thinking of for the past few days, which he’d thought was out of his reach. But everything the Captain had said was true, among other things. There were at least 26 reasons why they should _not_ enter into a romantic relationship. Still…

Spock strode forward and stopped in the door of the medbay. Kirk and McCoy turned to him, Kirk’s expression a mix of Shock and horror. Before the Captain could say anything, Spock spoke.

“Actually, Jim, I would not be adverse to a romantic relationship with you. On the contrary, I find the idea quite pleasing. In the meantime, however, I have an experiment that requires my attention. We can speak on this matter in your rooms later.”

With that Spock turned and walked away, allowing the corners of his lips to rise in the barest hint of a smile at the thought of Kirk’s shocked expression.

 

Despite his confidence when announcing himself to Jim earlier that day, Spock was quite nervous when it came time to actually speak with him that evening. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Spock knocked on the captains door.

The door slid open and Spock went in. Kirk was seated on his bed, and did not look up when Spock entered. Spock approached him cautiously, and stopped a few feet in front of him. Kirk looked up at him and attempted his usual grin, but tonight it seemed to fall flat.

“I bet you think I’m pretty stupid, for not just coming out and saying it, huh?” Kirk asked, his lips twisting in a wry smile.

“Of course not, Jim,” Spock replied. “I must admit that I felt a degree of… nervousness, myself, contemplating this meeting.”

“Why?” Kirk looked startled. “I mean, you already know I’m cool with it.”

Spock did not answer immediately. Indeed, his nervousness was illogical, and he could not put to words the reason for it.

“Sit,” Kirk suggested, and Spock complied, sitting on the bed next to him. Jim reached out and touched Spock’s hand when it sat on the bedspread, gently brushing his fingertips over the back. Spock suppressed a shiver and lifted his hand.

“You knew about Vulcan hands?” Spock asked absently as Kirk interlocked their fingers.

“I was reading up on Vulcan culture,” Kirk explained. “I’d been… thinking of you this way for a while, and I wanted to impress you, or something. And I ran across this one file that said Vulcans’ hands are really sensitive, and usually only lovers touch hands. So I was hoping that if we touched, you might start thinking about being lovers, with me.”

“That’s not the only reason we don’t touch,” Spock said softly. “When Vulcans touch hands, they can feel the emotions of the other being.”

“So every time we touched, you knew? That I wanted you, I mean.”

“Feelings only, Jim. Not thoughts.” Spock smiled slightly. “I could feel that you were happy being around me.”

“Yeah,” Jim murmured absently, looking at their interlocked hands with a dreamy smile on his face.

“Let me show you something,” Spock said, pulling his hand away. He held out two fingers to Jim, and the other man copied the gesture.

“This is how Vulcans kiss.” Spock explained, sliding his two fingers across Jim’s. Kirk’s eyes were locked on their hands and he concentrated on the kiss intently. His fingers slid up, down, over, swirled around Spock’s and grazed the pads lightly with his nails.

Spock let out a somewhat shaky breath. His heart rate had increased 28 point… It had increased.

Jim pulled his hand away and looked up at Spock, his expression mischievous. Spock raised an eyebrow, wondering what the Captain was planning.

“Let me show you how humans kiss.” Jim leaned forward, placing one hand on the back of Spock’s head. His head titled to the side and he pressed their lips together softly.

Spock had kissed the human way before, of course, but this was different from kissing Nyota. Kirk’s lips were firmer, and slightly chapped, but they were gentle and not demanding.

Jim’s tongue slid out and ran over his lips lightly, and Spock granted it entrance. The soft, cool tongue touched his gently, then slid along the roof of his mouth. Their tongues twinned together and Jim’s other arm wrapped around Spock’s neck. Spock found his own arms rising to grip Jim’s shoulders in return, as the kiss became more passionate.

They broke apart sloppily, and Jim licked his lips, grinning, breathless.

“Good?” Kirk asked, and Spock simply nodded, unable to formulate a response.

“Good,” Kirk replied, nodding in return. “I guess it was a good thing I found that file, huh?”

Spock didn’t laugh, exactly, but he did smile, just a bit. And that made Kirk laugh. He leaned forward and kissed Spock quickly on the lips before leaning against him, head rested on Spock’s shoulder.

“We can make this work, huh?”

“Yes. I’m sure we can,” Spock said, giving Jim a squeeze.

“You know I’m not good with long-term relationships. But I really want this. I mean it, Spock. The stuff I was reading, about Vulcan bonding. I want that. With you.”

“We can, Jim. But perhaps we should start with something smaller?” Spock allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

“Because that’s logical, right?” Jim asked, grinning. “I love you,” he said, and before Spock could respond he was kissing him again, in the human way and the Vulcan. This time his wet tongue coaxed Spock’s out, into Jim’s cool, sweet mouth. Spock kissed the man passionately, letting his free hand tangle in Jim’s hair as the fingers of his other hand twined with Jim’s.

“And I you, _t’hy’la_ ,” Spock whispered when they broke apart. “And I you.” Kirk leaned against Spock’s shoulder again and Spock just held him, content to love and be loved by Jim.


End file.
